Like I do every year through the last days of December, I started a list of all the plans and goals I have for the coming year. I absolutely love setting goals, and almost without fail I never reach them. In looking forward I also looked back over the last few months of 2010 and realized that this past year was the same. I haven't accomplished much. So I'm going to work things a little differently this year, starting with erasing that list I made that I wouldn't have finished anyway, and this is what I came up with...

Health - This hasn't been a priority in the past, and it needs to be. At this point I'm not sure if there is anything physically wrong with Frodo, but letting it slide and pretending there's not is irresponsible. As soon as I have set word that I have a job, I'm making an appointment. This also includes getting more exercise and losing weight, for both of us!

Safety - The last few weeks have been a real eye opener for me with regard to Frodo and people he doesn't know. Between taking him to the vet and hauling him halfway across the country to live with strange people he's taught me a lot about showing when he is uncomfortable and what his limits are. My resolution for this section is to teach him how to feel comfortable in a muzzle for when he does need to be pushed over threshold (vet's office) and letting him decide when he wants to meet anybody else. I don't get to decide, that other person doesn't get to decide, FRODO gets to decide. And when he does eventually decide, it is my responsibility to bail him out if he starts to feel uncomfortable, because he has shown he isn't capable of walking away himself. I need to learn to tell people "No" more often.

Relaxation - I decided this year not to set any concrete goals for Frodo's reactivity with other dogs, especially because there are so many other variables present in any situation that can alter the way he reacts. I know that he can walk into a room full of strange dogs and strange people at a seminar and not have a reaction all day, but seeing the back of a single dog a block away can cause him to react quite badly. Therefore my goal this year is to continue to learn everything that I can about helping reactive dogs, and my hope is that we can decrease the instances and situations where he feels uncomfortable enough to react.

Shaping - I want to learn how to shape, and how to teach Frodo to offer behaviors beyond bumping with his nose, laying down, and targeting with his paws.

And that's about it. I realize that his issues aren't going away anytime soon, and that's okay. I used to view all of his issues as something that we had to overcome before I could get on with doing what *I* wanted to do, like agility and taking him everywhere that well-behaved dogs are allowed to go, competing in every dog related activity or sport under the sun, etc. Now I view our work as a journey to getting Frodo comfortable and confident in areas where he is now fearful and reactive. The chance of us ever competing is very very low, but that doesn't mean we can't have fun going to classes and learning all kinds of adorable and useless tricks at home.

Most of all I think that the most important aspect of any behavior modification is support, people to share in the elation of a success and the frustration and disappointment of setbacks. I think in part you really have to surround yourself with people who have experienced those same highs and lows as yourself because it is something that the general population, even within the dog community, cannot really relate to unless they have been there. I was fortunate enough to have the ever-present support of wonderful people like Silke, Linda, and Sue in Pennsylvania, as well as to be moving to Minnesota and the likes of Crystal, Megan, Robin, Elizabeth, and Laura, all of whom I hope to get to know even more throughout the coming year.

And I'm alternating between asking Frodo to stick his muzzle into the...well, muzzle, and clipping it hanging around his neck and throwing treats for him. He'll only pop his nose in and out of the muzzle, not allowing it to stay in for any amount of time, but it's a start. I think the muzzle may be a bit too small, but I can't really tell without forcing it on him, which I won't do.

If I can get him to the point where he is comfortable wearing a muzzle then I will definitely be investing in a better built and more comfortable muzzle.

For now I just keep telling myself how much I never ever ever ever ever ever ever ever EVER want a human reactive dog again. I am simultaneously thanking my lucky stars that he has never bitten anyone (though he's been given many chances), and that he makes it pretty darn clear when he doesn't want to be petted/looked at/talked to, now I just need to start listening.

After our last trip to the vet's office, where Frodo made the vet quite uncomfortable and reluctant to touch him (despite my holding his collar/head), I've decided that Frodo needs to be muzzle trained before we make another trip to the vet. At this stage I think it is impossible to have someone work on and touch Frodo to the extent that a vet would have to in order to fully examine and diagnose his issues, without pushing him way over threshold.

Yesterday I bought a mesh muzzle with an open end so that I can still feed Frodo treats throughout the training process and while we are at the vet's office.

I am using this video as a basis for the training. I think the trainer in the video breaks it down into more steps than I would have, had I tried training it on my own. This is a good thing because I am a serious lumper.

Frodo and I slid (literally) into Minnesota on Thursday evening after being in the car for more than 16 hours straight. I had spent countless hours stressing over how Frodo was going to do in the car, especially since we had some issues with him settling down on the drive from North Carolina to Pennsylvania a few months ago. As usual, all the time I spent stressing was a complete waste of time and as soon as we got settled in Frodo laid his head on my lap and rested the entire time! He even gladly jumped back in the car after every potty break. I was seriously impressed.

That was pretty much where the easy part of this journey ended. Unfortunately during the past few days I have learned a lot about Frodo's signs that he is about to react. We are staying at Ryan's parents house until everything is in order for us to move into our new home, unfortunately that means that Frodo is living with four complete strangers. Four complete strangers who want to pet and love on the cute little corgi. Thus far he has sought out attention from Ryan's mom and both of his sisters. He does not care to come in any sort of contact with Ryan's dad. He has reacted to both of Ryan's parents and one of his sisters.

It is frustrating because he seems very Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde about the whole thing. He will willingly go up to one of them and seek attention (pushing his head under their hand, woofing at them, etc.) and after a short amount of time he will very quickly move through his calming signals, which are all silent, and then lunge/bark/air snap. He will not move away on his own.

Needless to say, he is not getting time with anyone but myself and Ryan at this point.

Our saving grace this week has been his crate. I originally wasn't even going to buy him one for out here unless I needed it, but at the last minute before leaving I caved and bought him a fold down cloth crate at Wal-Mart. Thank dog! He has spent a lot of time in it the past few days, and as long as I am within sight range of him, he is content to relax and sleep in it. I believe he really does view the crate as a safe place, and doesn't even budge when people walk close to it.

When we are out of the house he seems fine and not stressed at all. We have taken long walks for the past three days and he is thoroughly enjoying himself in the snow. Good thing too, I don't think it is going to be leaving anytime soon.

Silke and I met at the doggy daycare on Wednesday so that I could try out Behavioral Adjustment Training with Frodo. We worked for about an hour, used no food, and had zero reactions. I was definitely impressed.

We had 4 different sessions, with short breaks in between each one, and one long break where Frodo was crated in the car.

We combined this with "calming circles" which is something we learned from trainer Ali Brown, where you start with two people with dogs standing opposite each other, below threshold. You start with a designated number of steps (we used ten) that you walk toward each other, then return to your start position. The next time you take two additional steps (12 steps for us), then return to start position. With each trial you add more steps, and eventually we were able to pass each other, turn in a circle and return to start position.

For our trials we worked the calming circles method, but whenever the dog offered a calming signal we immediately retreated to the start position, blending the two methods.

The first session was with Silke's pit bull/brittany mix, Eddie. He has pretty loose body language, but is reactive to bouncy, pushy dogs (says Silke, I've never seen him react). Frodo has been on walks and in class with him before, so he does know Eddie, though they have never actually physically met. Frodo seemed quite at ease around Eddie, which may be in part due to the very loose body language that Eddie has, plus Eddie focuses on Silke a lot and spent little time staring at Frodo. We were able to gradually approach each other and eventually circle around and return to start while being quite close to one another on the pass, probably 4-5 feet apart. I was able to use additional reinforcement during this time by allowing Frodo to sniff the bushes located at our start point.

The second session was in a close, but different location, and the dog was Silke's pit bull Ronya. Ronya was wearing a coat for the session and she also has much stiffer body language and is generally a more intense dog than Eddie. Frodo has been in class and on walks with Ronya, spending about as much time with her as he has with Eddie. We did the same process as in the first session, though the threshold was definitely further away and both dogs spent quite a bit more time air scenting and trying to get information from the other dog. In the first session Frodo's main calming signal was a look away, wheras with Ronya it was more ground sniffing. Once we got closer to one another Frodo also willingly started curving away from Ronya, giving her a wide berth when we came to passing, though he was not stressed.

The third session was in the same location as the first session and the dog involved was an Australian Shepherd named Monty. Monty is bouncy and forges on the leash, wheras both Ronya and Eddie kept a loose leash. He is stable and loves to play with other dogs, not reactive at all. Frodo had never seen Monty before. Treats were used by Monty's handler to keep Monty distracted and not pulling on the leash toward Frodo. There were times during this session where Frodo spent quite a while standing just below threshold looking at Monty before offering a look away, and a few times I prompted a look away by calling his name. He gave Money a wide berth, much like he had with Ronya when it came to passing. After the pass when we were circling around the back of Monty, Frodo very much wanted to approach Monty from the rear. He was very calm during this, but we did not let them meet.

After this session we worked Monty and Eddie, so Frodo had some down time, crated in the car.

We attempted a fourth session with Millie, a 9 month old English Mastiff who was at the daycare. The setup was Millie in the play yard and Frodo working from across the street. This session was botched when Frodo spotted two cats nearby and would not take his focus off of the cats. I guess I can live with cats being more interested than dogs!!

Overall I was very impressed and I am going to try and schedule another session next week. I love that Frodo is more in control with this as opposed to the straight counter conditioning using food. I was astounded that he was still happy to work after an hour without being given one food treat, which was by biggest concern since he is *so* food motivated. I also believe this method keeps his arousal level lower because he does get aroused by food being present.

Silke made the comment that "he is a very polite dog, when he's given the chance to be" meaning when we take things slow and don't shove him over threshold. That comment made me so happy, because I think it makes me feel like we can make a lot more progress, that he's not some little evil being, that he *wants* to be good and nice.

Additionally, Frodo has an appointment with the vet on Wednesday morning to get his hips looked at. After the session he was doing hand targeting and generally getting attention from Silke. When she put her hand on his back he started lip licking. She did it again and he reacted quite badly. He made all kinds of noise and air snapped. He loves Silke, I think he sees her as a walking treat bag and he is comfortable around her, so I know it is not because he just didn't want her touching him, there is something causing him pain. My guess is hips.

This also makes me realize how sensitive he is, because I think most normal people would lump his behavior into "he never gave any signs, it was out of the blue!" when in reality he did give a sign that he was uncomfortable (the lip licking), but you have to be watching because it is subtle and he can escalate fast. This is why taking him to the vet scares me, handing him over to people who don't know dog behavior very well scares me!

Anyway, I'm stressed over Wednesday's appointment and it doesn't help that my mom somehow managed to kill my internet so I can only be on the internet when I go out to my workplace!

toward the move date that is. It's less than a month away and Ryan has a plane ticket to come out here on December 18th to help me move back. I imagine as the time gets closer my posts will get further and further apart. I'm already feeling the stress and the rush of getting things together and getting everything ready. So much to do, so little time.

I haven't worked on Nosework since my last training session which is horrible and means I didn't train AT ALL between classes. Yes, I'm apparently one of *those* students for the first time. The daycare owner has been sick so I have been heading straight from my 8 hour regular job to the daycare to close, making for some 12.5 hour workdays. The other night Frodo wouldn't leave me alone when I tried to go to sleep, jumping on me and trying to entice me into games of bitey-hand. I guess he does have a minimum exercise/attention requirement. On top of that I am getting sick and Frodo is getting another ear infection :(

These next few weeks are going to be long and stressful for sure, so I leave you with a happy picture from our walk...

(okay, so you've already seen it. It's at the top of the post because I am too lazy to switch to Mozilla where I can move pictures)

We didn't train today, even though I said we were going to. We went to the fairgrounds instead.My excuse? Well, I have a few...

-It was 60 degrees out this afternoon and we probably won't be seeing much of those temperatures until spring. I even wore a t-shirt!-Work was super stressful this week, we are understaffed and are continuing to have people quit, leaving the rest of us to pick up the slack. Not easy when it's food service.-Worrying about the move next month has me stressed beyond belief, and this weekend is going to be spent on the computer filling out job applications like a crazy person. I figured I would start out with some happy, fun time.

I think that's all of the excuses I have for now. On to the pictures...

Muddy paws.

Happy boy.The problem with leashes...Doing what he does best.

I really like some of the pictures I got today. Some of them are in this set, and some of them are being saved for a later date. I love this dog.

Time: 3:30pmLocation: Home - Living RoomDescription of Environment: In my living room, many boxes and much clutter present, carpeted flooring, this time Mollie was *not* in the search area for half the searches, Frodo seemed less distracted but I believe the competition from the other dog does motivate him to search harder, if less accurately.What practiced: elevation; hide out of view/obstructed from dog; threshold workHides used: small plastic container, without lid, containing TOTW kibble as well as small salmon pieces.Who hid the hide: MyselfEnvironmental considerations: We had just returned from a good walk before I searched with him, it was warmer out than normal and he does not like the heat. Could potentially be why he was less motivated to search for longer periods?Findings: I need to realize that temperature influences the searches, and that the warmer the environment, the less Frodo actually wants to work. During Nosework a dog's body temperature does rise due to the amount of energy being expended. He seems to have less issue with threshold work at home than he does in class. This could be due to the class room being much larger. Though he does not start actively searching at the threshold in either environment.

Trial 1:Like the last practice session, I started this session with an easy search to let him know it was working time.Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Du2oxurf81wTrial 2:This time Mollie was in the search area again and Frodo did not seemed stressed like he had last time.Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9h34YCqcS0Trial 3:This was our threshold search for this session, and as you can see as soon as the gate opens he blows right past the entrance and doesn't start working until he is well into the room. I am thinking I need to do less holding him back before the search and see if that helps. Next session I will have the gate already open so as soon as he gets close to the search field he can start working and not have to stop before the threshold.Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=seKS5GhbyCwTrial 4:In this one I did end up moving closer to the hide in order to try and draw him closer without being obvious and showing him where the hide was. While I do want to challenge him during searches, I also want them to be on the short side and very rewarding so that he builds a high search drive and thinks that searching is the best game ever!He also caught the scent mid jump and just about fell over himself trying to stop! I would say there is search drive there, motivated by insane food drive of course :)Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dn3guDl25gQ

(As a side note, I plan on practicing Nosework with Frodo on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, however I would like to do Wordless Wednesdays so Wednesday practices overviews will be posted on Thursdays.)

I'm going to make a solid effort to log the nosework practices that I do with Frodo because I don't think that just working with him and watching him is going to help me to mark his progress. It's not like agility or rally where you can say you ran a course with no faults or that they did a certain obstacle or sign correctly. I am also going to try and post pictures of the hides that I make, as well as videos of the searches.

Nosework Practice 1 (11.8.2010)

Time: 3:00pmLocation: Home - Living RoomDescription of Environment: In my living room, many boxes and much clutter present, carpeted flooring, additional dog loose in search area (Mollie)What practiced: elevation; hide out of view/obstructed from dogHides used: bait bag containing kibble and freeze dried tripeWho hid the hide: MyselfEnvironmental considerations: Mollie was a definite distraction/stressor, he worked more frantically and unfocused when she was in the roomFindings: I need to gradually introduce stressors like other dogs into the search field (if I choose to, this would not be a requirement for competition); hides that require Frodo to move things and push his way in order to get to the hide may be too advanced at this point.

Trial 1:This was supposed to be an easy trial just to let him know that we are doing Nosework and that it is working time. My bait bag was hidden next to the brown box. He found it quickly and easily.Trial 2:This trial added elevation and a small amount of obstruction. He could not see the hide until he had caught scent and looked inside the box. He also found this easily.Video of search: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5IycKDXAMA(You can tell by the head snap exactly when he caught the scent.)

Trial 3:This trial also added a sense of partial obstruction in that he would probably not be able to see the bait bag until he had caught the scent. Again, he found this hide quickly and easily.Trial 4: This was by far the most difficult trial of the day. I believe I added too many elements at once, there was elevation + complete obstruction + threshold work (the bait bag was inside of the laptop bag in the pictures below). Frodo has an issue where he is so eager to work that he will blow right past the threshold of the search area and into the middle of the area. I wasn't thinking about all the elements at the time, and made it too hard. He also lost interest and I didn't implement my backup plan (walking to the corner where the hide was) until he was already disinterested and leaving the search area. After he left the search area I brought him back and made it obvious to him where the hide had been.Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCXywezaqrUTrial 5: My intention with this trial was to make it an easy trial for Frodo and for it to be the last trial of the session, which it was. Always end on a high note.Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjlIG-F-Yjg(In the video I say it is Frodo's 4th run, I messed up numbering some of the runs because I had forgotten to include the 1st, very easy run)Overall I would say that it was a successful training session, at least for me. I'm no expert and I am really kind of just winging it with this whole thing. I much prefer working when a trainer is present, but obviously that is not always possible.

Note: A house being packed up for a move and going through renovations adds many good hide spots! :p

I know I said in my last post that we weren't attending this class because I could not afford it due to moving next month (not to mention yesterday I started receiving bills for my student loans, gah!), but one of the people I train with offered to pay my class fee. She is a great person and I am so grateful for her kindness.

Since it was the first class we were supposed to just have a bunch of boxes on the floor and have food in one box where the dog could self-reward. However, 4 of the 6 people in the class had attended the Nosework Seminar a while back, which was taught by the same instructor as the class, and have been working with their dogs since then, so some of us are already moving ahead and being challenged.

Frodo did amazing. I honestly thought he was going to do better than he did at the seminar. Not that he did bad, but I guess I just thought he was going to rock the socks off this game from the word go! Today he was really using his nose, though he still uses his eyes more than is wanted, and was absolutely having a blast!

The first round the instructor was just putting food in the boxes and he found the first hide right away, as he was supposed to. She also put a hide against a back wall in the first round, which poses a little more of a challenge and a lot of times the dog will actually pick up the scent on a certain wall, and work that wall. He didn't do this (though I was able to see another, more experienced dog in the class do it), but he did find the hide quickly. The third hide in this round was tucked near the entrance around a little ledge.

During the second round she started him off by putting the box on it's side, facing the wall. Because of that the odor pooled in the box and did not spread like it did when the open face of the box was pointing upward or toward open air. During this second round the trainer also used my bait bag and hung it from a chair to add elevation and move from just box work to environmental hides (not something that is normally done in week one, but that she did for some of the class today to further challenge some of the dogs), and he had no trouble finding that either. The last hide of this round was on a bench, he hopped on it and found the bag without issue.

For the third round the trainer hung the bait bag higher than she had last time and hung it from a crate in the corner, where the odor would part along the walls. Frodo did great this time and you could actually see has he worked his way down the "scent cone" :

"Experts believe that air scent dogs can locate victims because they follow a scent cone from its base to its vertex. Thus, these dogs just move from an area where the odor concentration is lower (the base of the scent cone) to an area of maximum odor concentration (the vertex of the scent cone)." - http://www.simplysearch4it.com/article/51462.html

Obviously that was pulled from a search dog site, but it is the same premise. Anyway, Frodo actually started a quartering type pattern, like a bird dog might, and when he started to move out of the scent range he would stop and turn around, moving into the stronger scent range until he found the bait bag.

For the last hide of the day the trainer hung the bait bag from the entry gate because Frodo was so eager to work that once he entered the search area he would blow past everything until he got to the center of the room, then start working. This was definitely his longest and hardest search of the day because he just couldn't seem to realize that the hide might be by the entrance and not out on the search floor! He did eventually find it though without any assistance.

I was so proud of him! He has been zonked out since we got home, he hasn't even waken up for dinner yet!

Over the next five Saturdays I am going to post about the Nosework classes, and I realize it may be very dull and repetitive to read, but I am going to do so in order to have notes that I can look back on for ideas or to mark progress. So I am apologizing in advance if this bores anyone, though it does say right on my banner that this blog is boring, so I can only carry so much pity for you all ;)

For the past few days I have been hiding Frodo's dinner kibbles all around my room since we don't really have an interactive toy right now for him to play with and get his food from. He LOVES this game. As soon as I get the kibble and head to my room he starts barking from the other side of the baby-gate until it is time to play, and he doesn't even try and make a pit-stop at the cat box on his way to my room!

I'm getting to the point where I am able to move kibble off the ground and elevate it further and further, and he consistently finding them.

In relation to this, there is a Nosework class that is starting this weekend and we are not participating. With the move coming up next month and so many recent cash flow out and not in, I really can't afford the $160 fee. I'm very disappointed, as it is something I think Frodo really enjoyed at the seminar, but I just didn't feel comfortable trying to swing it right now.

In yet more news, I have the best boyfriend ever and he gave me his point and shoot when I was visiting him and he found out my camera kicked the bucket. I took some photos the other day only to realize that I need to buy a card reader to get them to my computer, and Wal-Mart has been packed this week so I haven't had a chance to get one yet. Hopefully tomorrow. I need to start taking way more pictures (and can't wait to be back in MN so I can steal Ryan's SLR!!).

No, this isn't going to be a heartfelt, warm post. Tender Moments is the name of the Purina made moist cat treat that Frodo things is the bomb. I know they are probably grievously bad for him, but it's not like he will be getting them all the time...plus they were cheap. And like I said, he thinks they are amazing.

Last night I broke them out to work on his retrieve and he couldn't even focus because he thought they were so tasty and he needed to have them all RIGHT NOW! I'd hold my hand out with a ball in it (something we have done before) and his reaction was something along the lines of:

Additionally, today on our afternoon walk we were walking through a parking lot and a man came through a door, which usually makes Frodo more cautious because he knows something is coming but can't see it, and walked parallel to us. He said "hi puppy" and I simply asked Frodo to stay with me and he didn't seem tense or weary or anything! I was most pleased.

Then about 30 seconds later some idiot was cutting across the parking lot in front of us and decided to bark at Frodo (I have had multiple people do this over the years and I will never understand it. Why do people bark at random dogs in public?!), but he held himself together so well and got lots of super yummy treats for it! He was definitely alert to the man, but didn't bark or growl or whine at all. Good boy!

Also I took some pictures of Frodo in the leaves today out on our walk with the camera Ryan let me have after mine bit the dust (RIP awesome P&S), but I need to buy a card reader before I can upload them. Fail.

I am honestly beginning to think that Frodo just likes to hear himself bark. And that a lot of his barking is just habitual and that he isn't really barking out of fear or frustration or...whatever.

Today, for example, a man came to look at our heating system and I had Frodo in the living room with me. I didn't know he was going to be coming in the house until he was...in the house. He startled Frodo, but Frodo didn't react in any way though he was obviously a little anxious about the man, so I took him in the living room with me.

Over the next ten or so minutes the man walked in and out of the front door, never stopping to talk or pay any attention to Frodo. Yet every time he walked in the door Frodo lifted his head, barked once or twice, then laid his head right back down. No sign of stress or that he had any interest in meeting and/or interacting on any level with the man. Just the barking.

There are definitely times when he barks out of fear (other dogs that scare him) and out of frustration (when he can't get to something he wants to eat), but his barking at people who don't actually scare him and at every single thing that moves outside, I really think it's just because, well, he can.

In other news, I'm attempting more goals. As is quite evident by anyone who follows this blog, I suck at sticking to goals. I haven't actually stuck to a plan or goals yet with Frodo (at all!) that I can think of. Maybe you could say with his reactivity work, but I really think there was a lot of room for improvement even during much of that time. So I am going to try a slow and steady approach, attempt to update every day (even though it will be quite boring to read), and set pretty low goals.

Goals for November:

Teach Frodo to bow. This is something we have been working on for a while, but I am at the point where I usually throw my hands up and walk away because he isn't progressing anymore. This is a tough one for him because I'm still not convinced he is aware of that back end yet. Right now he does it with a lure, but any fading of the lure, even just not having a treat in the hand, and it falls apart. My goal is to be able to stand up and have him bow with a hand signal and/or a verbal cue.

Teach him a switch command. More than anything I think this will be useful when we are walking down the street and a person is walking toward us. I just feel better if he is on the side that the person is not, and I'd like him to move there himself instead of making a big production of physically moving him or moving around him to get us there. My goal is just for him to realize that "switch" means move behind my legs to my other side.

Progress with retrieve. Right now Frodo will pick a ball out of my hand and drop it. I have been marking when it hits my hand, as I want him to retrieve to hand. I would like to see me be able to put it on the ground and have him pick it up and place it *intentionally* in my hand. He doesn't need to move anywhere to get it, just pick it up off the ground by my hand and place it in my hand. Small steps, you grasshopper :)

Targeting to hand. This one is going to be harder since I tend to not want him to meet strange people unless I know them. I feel as though this is going to be important though as next month he is going to meet a lot of new people and I would like him to learn the target to hand as an intro. I plan on making my mom, little sister, etc help with this.

Recall. This is another area where I have done a lot of damage by expecting too much. Frodo may never have a reliable recall, but I can at least put some effort into this and find out. I am completely starting over. New word, new...um, plan? Just new...new things! My initial goal is to play the "come and get it" game from Silke's puppy class. Throw a treat, say your come command and treat puppy again in between legs. I am going to use a high value treat for all the recall work and keep a higher rate or reinforcement than usual. I plan to progress beyond this simple game this month, but want to wait to play the game and see how good he is before I make a decision on the next step.

That is all I can think of at the moment. I feel like I need to hype this up for myself so that I stick to it. Like New Frodo November! Or something equally cheesy.

Today when I got home from the airport the first thing I did was to take Frodo for a walk because he was bouncing off the walls. Not two blocks into our walk we turn the corner and see a couple walking two dogs, a small something-or-other, and a GSD. The GSD was off-leash. It's the middle of town. As soon as they saw us the owners start talking to the GSD "Stay here. Hey...stay here. Staaaaaay." while they tried to sneak up on him and grab his collar. Which tells me they really shouldn't be walking this dog off-leash, in the middle of town.

I don't understand.

Last week my boyfriend and I were rear-ended on a four-lane highway because a loose dog ran out in front of our car. The dog was obviously terrified, can't blame him. He caused a 3 car accident, and when his owners showed up they didn't say anything to anybody, just picked up their dog and left. Didn't ask if we were okay, didn't give anybody information where they could be reached, nothing. Which leads me to think not only are they completely irresponsible dog owners, but completely irresponsible human beings as well.

I don't understand.

Two weeks ago when Frodo and I were on our Sunday morning walk a woman was at the fairgrounds with two mini-poodles. They were off-leash and seemed to stay quite close to her...until they saw something else they wanted to see. Then of course they would just take off. And the owner would stand there. Yelling for them. While they completely ignored her. A lot of the dogs on our walk are reactive/aggressive. A lot of the dogs are pit bulls and shepherds, and other BSL affected breeds. If something were to happen, who would most likely be projected as "at fault." Probably not the cutesy wootsy tiny poodles who are breaking leash laws and completely out of control.

I don't understand.

About a month ago I went to a party and there was a lab puppy there. Adorable little 4 month old lab puppy. While I spent most of my night removing bottle caps from his mouth and corralling him away from the open door that led to a main road, I got the chance to talk to his owner, who told me all about the great hunting dog he was going to be, and how they already had a female yellow lab to breed him to! Great, because there wasn't enough un-health tested labs of every color from "proven stock" in the local paper every. single. day. Not to mention that you can't breed a dead dog.

I don't understand.

I had a long conversation with myself today about how easy it would be to be an irresponsible dog owner. Mainly brought on by the fact that at the house in MN there is a wide open awesome public field that I would *love* to let Frodo run on. But I won't, because he has a horrible recall. But how easy would it be for me to just unclip the leash and let him run, hope for the best, and if he doesn't come when called? Well he's just a dog, haha, he's so cute! It's okay, he's FRIENDLY!

So I am almost definitely moving back to Minnesota this Dec/Jan (yay!) and leaving Silke and Linda and Sue (boo!) who have taught me so much in this past...less than a year.

I'm in Minnesota now on vacation, and it feels so much like home for me. I can't wait to be back here for good. But it also means I have a lot of work to do before moving out here.

For one, we will be living with a friend who has two adorable cats. One is pretty much like Inky, he is large, rock-like, and will stand up to dogs. He won't be an issue. His name is also Topham, like the train from Thomas the tank engine. Then there is Nado (Fortunado), who is tiny, squirrel like, and has never met a dog before. He is what I am worried about, because even though Frodo won't hurt a cat, he will chase a running cat and I don't want Nado to have to be scared of him.

I plan on tethering for quite a while, not only for the sake of the cats, but because I need to put a kibosh on the counter surfing and Frodo wanting to be on the couch. He tends to show more resource guarding behaviors toward other animals while on the couch, so when we move he is not allowed on any furniture except for my bed.

We will also be beefing up our crate work (and buying the biggest crate I can find) so that he can be crated when I am gone. This shouldn't be too bad, my biggest worry is that he will bark when Giuseppe (roomie/house owner) is home and I am gone, simply because he can hear someone in the house.

I'm also not looking forward to learning a new neighborhood, where I live now I know what houses have dogs, I know where loose dogs are most likely to be, and I am going to have to re-learn all of that at the new place. Giuseppe told me that he took a walk around the neighborhood and at one house there was a bulldog that was slamming itself against the window to try and get to him, and he wasn't even in their yard or anything, just walking on the sidewalk. Issues like that worry me. I will definitely be investing in some doggy mace and walking with something I can fend dogs off with for a while.

Overall though, I am excited to be back in the Twin Cities and can't wait to call it home again. With my dog this time. He is going to HATE the winter, but he will live. The basement of the house is also going to make a perfect training area, it is huge and open and you can stand upright. I have a feeling we will be doing a lot of Nosework this winter to keep me sane. Anybody have any suggestions for matted flooring that it inexpensive that I could put down? I think it is just hardwood or something down there now. I go and look at the place tomorrow and will know better then.

It was basically an overview of what a six week course in nosework would be. We started with just introducing the dogs to food in boxes and having them find the food box (which had free food in it so they could self-reward) from a bunch of boxes. Added more boxes. Added other items and elements like cones and brooms and umbrellas and a bunch of different stuff that we could hide the food in. Then took away the boxes and only did hides in the other items. Moved from self-rewarding to hiding tupperware with holes in the top or bait bags so that the handler had to reward.

Frodo did really well. He isn't quite scenting or really using his nose as much as he is just moving from item to item in order to find the food, but I think he was having a good time. There were some dogs there that really just seemed to *get it* from the very beginning. I think it will just take time.

His behavior was exemplary! At the beginning he barked a bit in the crate but once he settled in I was able to go to the bathroom, stand up at the ring gates, and even go outside for a car demo without him throwing a fit! He even fell asleep and I had to wake him up in order to do our last run. Part of it was definitely the setup, I didn't see two dogs meet the whole day I don't think. That's Silke for you though, and one of the reasons I love working with her so much.

I am really hoping that within the next few weeks we can get a class going with the nosework. I want to get started! I am going to do some at my house but really it is so small that getting a lot of stuff to work with is going to be difficult. If Silke doesn't have anything soon I am going to see if I can use the doggy daycare after hours for some practice.

Overall it was a great day and we both came home and took a very long nap!

Frodo is still the devil and I am still constantly tired from being up at 4am every day, but I did want to share this little diddy.

The other night my little sister had a friend over and Frodo grabbed his deer antler and settled down to chew near the computer where they were sitting. They got a little wound up and louder and my sister's friend (who has been over before and who Frodo knows and is fine with) reached out like she was going to pet Frodo (who was out of reach anyway) and he got up and moved his antler willingly into the crate to chew! Which is awesome since he hasn't exactly been thrilled about being in there for the protocol or just in general, he would rather be out and about.

I know it might not be the intended result of the protocol (which I *think* is to make them feel calm in general when distractions are around, as opposed to in one specific spot), but you won't find me complaining!

That is really the only input that I have for now, but Frodo and I have our K9 Nosework seminar this Saturday so we can really see how he is doing with the crate! Plus I am just so excited to finally let him use his nose for a PURPOSE!

Haven't posted in a while. Not much happening around here these days, I'm super busy but most of it is not on the dog front.

On the whole though I feel as though Frodo is backsliding. We have been seeing less dogs out on walks and he is seemingly more reactive though there is nothing I can pinpoint that I am doing differently. Maybe he is just feeling more alive in the cooler weather?

More than the dog reactivity, he also seems to be acting worse around people as well. Which to me is more worrisome than other dogs. Now, Frodo has never bitten or gone beyond barking at people, though he has had many opportunities, but I definitely don't want to put him in a position where he feels as though he needs to even go as far as barking.

In general he has seemed much more alert on our walks and as though he is just waiting for something or someone to come along and then he reacts now and will think about whether he should have at a later time. It is frustrating when he has come so far and I cannot seem to get us back on track.

That's about all I have on this front right now. Other than that for my next dog I want a dog that loves absolutely every human ever. At this point dog reactivity seems so much easier to deal with!

I asked Silke if she would be able to bring the fake dogs she has that she tests out dog's reactions to strange dogs with (if that makes sense :p) so I could see how Frodo reacted.

First she set her larger dog pointed away from us behind a shed and then I walked Frodo around the shed on a long line so he could approach how he wanted to. As soon as he saw the dog he froze and tensed up like he normally does when we see dogs out on walks. Then he approached, head down and his weight shifted to his rear when he got to sniffing range. Once he figured out it wasn't real he walked up and, being Frodo, tried to pee on it. That's my boy!

The second scene we tried started with Silke having a small schnauzer dog on a leash and Frodo on a 6ft leash as well. She walked out from behind the shed with it and Frodo reacted in pretty much the same way as with the first dog. When she moved the dog toward him as if it was going to sniff Frodo, Frodo moved away and continued to move away in response to all of the other dog's advances. The same thing happened when we tried the larger dog in the same scenario.

I know we have to take into account the fact that Frodo knows Silke, and that he realized that the other dogs weren't actually dogs, but all in all he responded how I expected him to. He *can* be introduced to strange dogs, the problem comes in that he does not know how to handle another dog past the initial greeting. I can let him sniff a dog and if I interrupt and ask him to come back to me he is fine. If I don't interrupt after a few seconds into the sniff he becomes defensive.

In the coming weeks we may be able to stage greetings with some of the bombproof daycare dogs. Should be interesting.

In other news, Frodo and I have a crate on loan from Sue as we are attending a Nosework seminar on Oct. 9th and dogs must be able to sit quietly in the crate when not being worked with. Oy vey.

I tried to tell Silke that I should just leave Frodo home and audit, but she scolded me and said I need to give Frodo more credit! Which I try and do but it's hard!!

So we are starting Relaxation Protocol in the crate and will hopefully be able to take it on the road before Oct 9th. Cross your fingers for us! He was crated last agility practice, and he was very relaxed, he just barks when I move away in a "how dare you shut me in here and go have fun, let me out!" sort of way. When I was sitting near him he'd lie his head down and just chill.

Tonight we have Tricks class (it is either the last or next to last class, which is sad) and there are empty crates around the room so I am going to work on sticking him in a crate when Silke is talking.

Would it be ludicrous to say that after 3 days (and not in a row) of agility work that Frodo is reacting less on walks and is generally in a better, more active mood? Because it sure seems like it!

We have been seeing a ton of dogs lately on walks and he has been an absolute gem. He sees them and I say his name and he turns and gets his peanut butter squeeze. I'd like him to be looking at me without me having to say his name, but beggars can't be choosers and it's not taking effort for him to turn away from the other dog. He gets some time with the peanut butter and we can pick up and be on our way with the dog still well in sight.

We have also been able to walk much further, but I am not sure if that is do to cooler weather or what. Whatever it is I am enjoying it immensely.

Thursday night we went back to Sue's and did more focus work. Mainly going into the practice area and keeping the dog engaged for a set amount of time. Frodo, by far, was the star of this show. Even when the set amount of time was up he was more than happy to keep focused on me and didn't care about the environment nearly as much as the other dogs. There was a straight tunnel, a J tunnel, and a curved tunnel on the course, and he did all of those beautifully. Lots of speed and he absolutely loved them!

Tomorrow we are going to a different location to practice, so it will be a good test of how he is doing in a strange place with strange dogs. I am both excited and nervous. I know they will probably have more of a course set up than Frodo and I are used to (the tunnels Thursday night weren't sequenced or supposed to be sequenced, since we are working on focus and foundation and not sequencing) but we will probably still just work on focus and rewarding with tunnels.

In other news, next weekend I am going to learn how to show groom Bedlington terriers and hopefully will also be at the corgi Nationals for one of the days!

I know I sound like a broken record, but I really need to start blogging more! Some big changes around here recently, I've got a new shift at work (5am-1pm) that I think Frodo might be having some issues with. Now when I get home from work he is being super clingly and gaurdy around Mollie and Inky (the cat) when I'm on the couch. Meh.

In other (and more positive) news...*drumroll*... Frodo and I have started agility!! He seems to think it is the best thing ever and I have had so much fun in just two sessions that you can consider me hooked!

Now, we aren't taking real classes in the pay $xx.xx for 6 weeks sense. We are training with a friend of mine, Silke, and on occasion some other agility folks. I think it's good for me because I don't feel the pressure to do really well that I might in lessons. I trust my friend and her training methods/mentalities 100% with Frodo.

Anyway, here is a little breakdown of the first two lessons and how they went.

Yes, they are all tunnels, and we only used the two on the right (straight tunnels). Frodo didn't really understand at first that he was supposed to go *through* the tunnel, so we made one very compact and Silke stood at one end and I stood at the other and we just treated him for running through and gradually widening it. He didn't show the least bit of hesitation, his confidence over this past summer has *really* improved! It makes me so happy that he doesn't worry so much anymore :D

After we had that tunnel down and I had him running through it from all four positions (left and right lead on both ends) we tried to tie it together with the tunnel in front of that one. Didn't work so well as he would run through the first tunnel and dodge the second one to follow me. If we ran from the second tunnel to the first tunnel we had better success, probably because he was reinforced so much more for going through that first tunnel (the one we gradually made longer for him).

One of the problems we were running into was the Frodo wouldn't take his eyes off of me! Great while we are working with other dogs in the area, but not so great when he is supposed to be looking ahead at tunnels! :p

On one last note for the first night, everyone was impressed at how FAST he can run, probably because he acts so lazy in class, haha!

Yesterday morning we went over for another lesson, and this time Frodo had the whole place to himself! :p

My friend (I'm going to start referring to her as Sue, since that is her name and I will probably be talking about her a lot!) started off my giving me 2 stuffed toys with openings where you can stuff treats, and a food tube, since we needed a better method of rewarding than throwing pieces of treats and waiting for Frodo to find them! I put some high value treats in the toy and let Frodo sniff it and that was the end of him! He thought it was the best tug toy ever invented...ever!

We did three short rounds of training.

Round one was to go out and get Frodo through the tunnel from all four ways (left and right lead on each opening), for both tunnels. This was also the first time he had done a curved tunnel, though the tunnel had quite a gentle curve. No sweat for him! We did this with lots of tugging and treat giving, then off the course.

Round two was restrain holds. The first time we did this he went through the tunnel so fast that I didn't even have time to get the toy out of my pocket and throw it! He was scary fast! We did it again, with the same results. Then, on the third time when Sue reached for his harness he turned and started barking at her, which I wasn't expecting but probably should have. Sue had me put a leash on him and she held that for one more restrain hold and then off the course.

While Frodo rested again we talked about his triggers and how all of the work we have been doing lately has been about being calm. Calm in new situations, calm around other dogs, calm calm calm. And with agility, we are allowing him to get up and "high," and that is probably why he reacted at Sue. That the restrain holds and runs are emotional, which is why they work, because they frustrate the dog. She really didn't seem worried about it, but said that we would do restraint work with a parachute rope from now on.

Round three was just for me to go out and have Frodo focused on me for 1 minute. I could reward however much I wanted and I could do whatever with the tunnels that I wanted, but had to keep his focus. We did quite well! Only had one little slip up, and that is because Frodo smelled one of the treats that had dropped out of the toy after he tugged a hole through it earlier. Other than that he was with me the whole time.

Overall I think things are going well. A few things bother me (like that he snarked at Sue), but there are also a ton of good things I am seeing, like even though he is very "on," he stays right with me and listens to me, every time I asked him to drop the tug he did without a moment hesitation, and most of all he seems to be having a blast out there!

Wow, long time no blog. Between getting ready for Ryan being here, Ryan being here, and trying to get back on track after Ryan left, blogging definitely got thrown to the wayside.

Anyway, the night that Ryan got here Frodo and I also had our first night of tricks class. I had to do dog swims first, and then race home and get the little brat right before class started, which worried me a bit as it meant we would get there and all of the other dogs would already be there! Something I try and avoid as I like to be there first and treat as the other dogs show up.

Not this night. We walked in the building and all the other dogs for class are already there. Plus I was a little frazzled with Ryan being there (I'm like my dog, little changes in the environment throw us off!), but I was very very pleasantly surprised.

We had NO REACTIONS the whole class! NONE! Even when another dog in class had a reaction and had to be moved into a different area! Even when my trainer's dog was staring at Frodo from her crate! He was a perfect little gentleman!

I was so proud of him! He was also a champ at the stuff we worked on, though he knew most of the tricks before we went to class, so we did have an advantage over some of the others in class. One we had never worked on and that I thought would give him trouble was the little tunnel we set up. I was worried about him being scared by the way it moved and how it was enclosed. Boy did he make a liar out of me!

I think it was probably his favorite of the night. On one go-through Ryan accidentally threw the treat too far so it went through the tunnel and way across the room, way close to a Wheaten Terrier in class that Frodo has never met before. Of course my heart was in my throat and my eyes were probably as big as saucers, but my little man ran, got the treat from less than 2 feet away from the dog, turned and ran right back to me! Didn't even give the dog a second glance.

I was beaming at the end of the night. I hope that he continues to do so well, both in class and on the dog walks. I just wish we could get amazing results like this out on regular walks.

Anyway, we have our second class tonight and here's to hoping it goes as well!

P.S. (remember writing that on notes in elementary school? :p) Should I be using the treat that I *only* use for desensitization out on walks while on the dog walk and at class? I feel like they are two totally different things altogether. He doesn't/rarely has reactions in class/on the walks, but he still most of the time has reactions on regular walks. Should I treat him the the desensitizing treat while we walk into the training building, and then switch to regular treats? I don't want to tarnish the desensitization treat by using it as a reward for tricks that we are working on in class...

For any of you who have been following this blog or are my friend on facebook or are on another forum with me, you probably know that since I've decided that I am staying in PA I have been going dog crazy. I want a dog/puppy/foster/for keeps/rescue dog/showdog/*insert any other kind of dog here* and well...you get the idea.

This post, more than anything, is meant as something I can look back to every time I get the puppy wants again during the next 3 years or so, because I DO NOT NEED ANOTHER DOG RIGHT NOW.

Reasons I shouldn't get another dog:

-I am going back to school next semester, working full time, busy with dog stuff, and I really just don't have hours upon hours to spend training another dog.

-Ryan wants to be part of raising/training the next dog, and *I* want him to be part of this as well. He said that he doesn't mind if I get another dog, because it would make me happy, but I know that he really wants to share the experience with me and denying him that is unfair.

-We don't know 100% how Ryan's allergies are going to be when he is living with Frodo, and I don't want to get in over my head and make him more uncomfortable by living with 2 dogs if he hasn't adjusted to one yet.

-My mom may be selling the house which means I will either be living with my grandparents or going with my mom. Going with my mom puts me over an hour away from school/work/training and going with my grandparents means I have to have trained dogs, and a puppy/shelter dog isn't going to be.

-It is going to be easier to find a place to live with one 30 pound dog than with 2 dogs and one of them weighing over 50 lbs.

-My mom isn't a dog person. She's really not. She does well with Frodo and takes care of him for me when I need her to, but she isn't thrilled with dogs in general, and I don't think it's quite fair, even if she says it's okay, to bring another dog in the house. It would also add more stress because I would be stressed about the new dog bothering her.

-I'm going to be traveling a lot these next few years. Ryan and I are trying to see each other at least every other month, which means I will be spending a lot of time away in Minnesota and during this time my mom will have to care for Frodo, and I don't think adding another dog to her responsibilities is fair or a good idea.

-Consistency in training is not going to happen while I am living with my mom and little sister. It's just not.

-I need to focus on paying off my car and my student loans, not dumping a ton of money into a dog and then more money into training, vet bills, possibly trialing, etc.

-Frodo still has so long to go in his training. It's not like I would be able to walk both Frodo and another dog (plus there is still Mollie who I have to worry about!) at the same time, Frodo still has reactions sometimes when we are out on walks and the last thing I need is another dog to think that is acceptable!

-I'm already paying for food, treats, grooming, etc. for Mollie ("family dog"), Frodo, and Inky ("family cat"), and that is enough for me at this point if I still want the freedom to do fun stuff on my own.

-Life is pretty easy right now. I know what to expect from the dogs, they know what to expect from me, life goes on. Adding a new dog would bring loads of stress and I'm quite capable of getting my daily dose of stress all on my own.

Reasons I *should* get another dog:

-I WANT ONE!!

-I have access to doggy daycare that I may not have in the future.

-I want to trial and I don't know that Frodo will ever be able to trial.

So in the end, when I'm thinking rationally and not sifting through Petfinder and breeder websites, the truth is that adding another dog right now is just *not* the best option, any way you look at it.

So for now I will focus on Frodo and school and getting debt free, and I am going to start working with a trainer in agility and rally (unless something stops us from those) as soon as I pay off my car, and I'll keep telling myself that even if we can't ever compete we can still have fun learning!

I have been watching Kathy Sdao's seminar Cujo Meet Pavlov! and learning a lot. Putting it all together like that, I can see that I have been making some serious mistakes (like I was backward conditioning, oops) and even though I am only halfway through the DVDs I feel as though my toolbox has been re-stocked!

One of the main things is that I need to use the highest reinforcer I can find (I KNEW that, but wasn't doing it and she really drove that home in the seminar), and use it ONLY for the reactivity work. I knew this to an extent as well, but didn't realize how important it is.

So today I bought as much stuff as I could think of to try and build a reinforcement ladder to figure out what would be used for the reactivity work. Believe me, Frodo had a FUN night!

And the winner is... Kong Peanut Butter filler squeeze stuff. Yum. Second in line was TOTW wet food, which I have been using for shaping, which I plan on continuing to do. I realize the Kong stuff might not be the most healthy, but I figure I am willing to use it anyway if it will help him to become less reactive. Other than that, he really only eats TOTW kibble, TOTW wet food, Dogswell Lamb and Rice treats, and Natural Balance roll on occasion. Oh, and soon Primal raw formulas. I don't think that is too shabby...

I have never before met a dog who was so insistent that he could only use one foot. I feel like we have been trying to get him to shake with his right paw for so long, and FINALLY today he offered a beautiful right shake without hesitation...and then got about 1/4 of a big can of Taste of the Wild wet food for it!!

Even when we were about halfway into training it, he was still so dysfunctional with his right paw, like he had to concentrate *really* hard in order to use it instead of his left. It was funny, but frustrating too.

Now the only trick we need in order to catch up is backing up. You would think this would be easy to lure...not with Frodo...

I've been toying with the idea of putting Frodo on a raw diet...again. When he was younger I had him on raw and was doing everything myself. With that plus school plus work plus a budget it got to be too much to handle, so although he was doing well, we stopped.

I've been looking at Primal with some interest. I know I don't want to do it all on my own, not to start. I feel out of practice :p

I also like Primal because I feel as though I will still be able to use the meat for training, unlike a chicken drumstick, and it probably wouldn't be all that much more messy than rewarding canned food by hand -.-

I also have to decide if I want to pay in insane shipping cost (not to mention the cost of some of their products already!!) as I haven't found a store here that will carry them with any reliable consistency.

In other news I've decided with 99% certainty that I don't want another dog or puppy. I don't think I'm ready (Frodo still needs so much work) and I don't think Frodo is ready. I know he could acclimate to a new dog in the house, but I don't know how much stress it would cause him. I also like to be lazy, and was thinking about all the housetraining and the needing to go out in the middle of the night, and the socialization, etc. I think I may be cured. I hope I'm cured.

I was given the chance to foster a pit/chow mix this week, and at first I was jumping at the chance, but given time for it to settle in I got my brains back and was *so* nervous about the situation that I know I can't be ready if I am THAT nervous about the whole thing. So no new animals in this house for QUITE a while. I'm crossing my fingers that this attitude continues!

In still other news, with all of the reading/watching/learning I have been doing, and the stress of figuring out my future, I haven't been working on Frodo's tricks all that much. *facepalm*

We are going to end up falling behind again, which will only cause me more stress!

My trainer Silke has allowed me access to her book and DVD/CD library while I am studying and learning and hopefully eventually taking the test to become CPDT certified. She sent me a file of all the resources she has. It is, not even kidding, 8 pages of probably 8 point font :o

It's not all training/behavior related, she has everything from TTouch, nutrition, wolves, cats, performance issues, etc.

I want to keep track of what I am reading and watching, and if it's on the blog I will know where to find it! I also plan on taking notes on everything. Like I said previously, I am treating this the same as I would taking classes in college.

I went into the search telling myself that I was going to focus first on body language and behavior, because if I can't communicate with a dog and understand what they are saying, how am I supposed to help them? Then of course I started looking through the list and anything with the word aggression in it caught my eye and mysteriously ended up on the list! Then I nabbed a few shelter dog ones as I am planning on starting to volunteer at a shelter as soon as I find one that I think I can do some real work and make a difference in, so that type of information would be handy too!

I think I am most looking forward to the 3 volume Lindsay books as they look and seem to read like textbooks, and I have a strange obsession with textbooks! They seem difficult but Silke didn't seem to think that they would be over my head.

Can't wait to get started!!

Also, since my last post I have decided that this house is not going to be adding another canine member anytime soon!

Ryan and I had a serious talk the other night and based on the way our apartment search had been going we decided that the most unemotional and logical decision for our financial future would be for us to not get an apartment right now.

Which means I am taking a break from college a semester early and going back to a 1,100 mile long-distance relationship. We've done it for a year already before so I'm not worried about not making it but ugh, I don't want to :(

I'm trying to focus on the positive aspects of this. I get to work with Silke more. I get to watch the puppies at the doggy daycare grow up. I don't have to worry constantly about money issues. I get to pay off my car and school loans.

Because I won't be going to school and I *need* to keep myself super busy, I've decided to start working toward a CPDT certification. I had a nice long chat with Silke last night about it and she is going to help me out. I am going to start contacting shelters in the area to volunteer and work on training the dogs for experience. Silke is giving me access to all of the books/DVDs/etc that she has (and she has a lot!) to start learning more. She is also going to start allowing me to teach portions of her classes that I have been sitting in on. When she has private consults for aggression and other behavioral problems she said she would let me know so I could be involved with those as well. She gave me names/contact info for other trainers in the area that she thinks would let me help out with their classes. I am also signing up for a 5 day Sue Sternberg seminar for next May.

I realize that I am nowhere near the point of being a trainer. I think that's obvious. But everybody has to start somewhere and it's something I really *want* to do. We shall see...

As far as Frodo goes, I brought up yesterday while talking to Silke that I want to get Frodo in some sort of class now that we are staying and I can go to a class for the whole duration of the class. She said she has one person interested in a tricks class, she herself wanted to take one of her dogs to the tricks class and our friend Sue was interested in the tricks class. Both Sue and Silke have reactive dogs so it would only be the four of us in the class. I hope it works out as I think it would be really fun and laid back. She also mentioned having a set time every week where we get together with the dogs and work on something, whether it be rally, tricks, K-9 Nosework, etc.

And last but not least, this has given me the most horrible puppy/dog fever ever. I think part of it is because I want a dog that I can take to daycare with me now that I know I will still be working there. Another part of me wants one because I figure I can have it trained by the time I move to MN and won't have to worry about getting a dog that gets us kicked out of an apartment. Somebody needs to talk me out of this decision...

For the trick challenge coming up I have been putting a lot of work into teaching spin and pivot to heel. I am luring the spin because I thought it would be easier. I am (trying to) shape the pivot to heel because I want to work on my shaping skills.

I prefer shaping, but I feel as though I am better at luring. I find that when I shape I tend to get stuck in a rut, give up, and just fall back into luring the behavior. One reason why I think that I am better/more confident in luring is because that was how I was initially taught to train, along with choke chains and god forbid you bring a clicker to class! But I *want* to be a better shaper than I am lurer (is that a word?) because I like the idea of the dog figuring the whole thing out himself.

I think it does depend on the dog, which method works better. Frodo learns a new behavior faster through luring than shaping because he isn't great at offering behaviors (something that we are trying to work on) and because he will follow the smallest morsel of food off of a cliff!

Anyway, I was just wondering what method (or even additional methods) the people who are reading my blog prefer, are better at, etc. What your dog(s) learn better/quicker with, how long you have been working with them on particular methods, etc. Basically whatever you have to say on the subject I would be interested in hearing...

Recently, by which I mean increasingly over the last few weeks, Frodo has decided that he needs to be right on top of me and very pushy in trying to get my attention. When I am on the couch on my computer he will jump up next to me and push his head under my arm/hand, lay his head on my hands, or just move right into my space and make it impossible to type. If I ignore the behavior he just seems to get worse, trying harder to get me to pet him and he will sit and bark at me. If I give in and pet him he will lay down and that's the end of that...until I stop. Then he starts all over again. It's annoying, it's rude, and I would really like it to stop.

I know I need to ignore it or not let him on the couch at all, etc. but I don't want him to think I don't love him! I know, I KNOW! That's not how it works, that's not how dogs think. I know that is exactly what I would tell people if they came to me with this problem, but I can't help it!

Maybe I feel guilty about working so many hours or about not having Izzy as a playmate for him anymore, regardless I am letting him get away with a behavior that drives me insane.

Right now he is working on a stuffed kong because I don't want to have to tell him not to be pushy for attention. I've also started working at the table instead of on the couch to avoid the situation. I need to be more firm and consistent with him, but even as I type this I know that I will give in when he looks at me and leans into me when I try to push him away! Erg.

In other news, he isn't only becoming pushy with me. He is becoming pushy and guardy with Mollie as well. Since I brought him home I have spent some time having Mollie sit next to me and feed both of them by hand, with Frodo only getting his kibbles when he is relaxed and not right up against me straining to get the kibble so Mollie doesn't. And it's been going pretty well.

Recently though, I have been using higher value treats for shaping games and if she wanders over to see what is going on he will growl and rush her. He doesn't make contact, but even what he is doing right now is unacceptable.

So, I've been thinking a lot since Frodo and I started the Positive Clicks 2010 trick challenges and since Frodo and I attended our first dog class (if I wasn't so lazy and had a faster computer I would link to the original blog post, but alas I am lazy. The title was something regarding 1 day, 2 big events, if anyone is interested), and I've come to a conclusion. I WANT to do something with Frodo. Not something that I do completely at home and by myself, but something that involves going to classes and being around other people and offers the chance of competition!

Before I thought that I would be fine with just doing whatever at home, messing around and teaching some cool tricks, but now I've got the itch. And because I know that I won't have another dog for a few more years, Frodo needs to help me scratch that itch. Frodo and I have started seriously working on free shaping instead of me giving up and just luring, and I am having a lot of fun with it. Right now I am free shaping a pivot to heel and I am learning a lot about how to free shape in ways that help him to progress and understand. Doing the trick challenges have really been forcing me to work with Frodo and really focus on how he learns and how to help him learn.

So anywho, the bottom line is that I want to be in class. Even if we can't ever compete, I want to take classes, I want to be involved and learning. But I am scared of approaching trainers and asking about bringing a reactive (if well managed) dog into their class. I worry that I will end up being too much of a distraction to other students if he has a reaction, or making other students angry by bringing him to class. Part of me thinks I should definitely sign him up, especially after taking him to one of Silke's classes and having no reactions (well, we had outside ones, but that was due to movement and dogs playing rough), but the other part is scared that I am getting in over my head.

Any owners of reactive dogs have advice/suggestions/words of wisdom to share on this front?

PS: If any of this is jumbled, I blame it on my 10.5 hour crazy shift today and too much caffeine!

Frodo has suddenly decided that he needs to door dart. He used to do this when he was an adolescent, but he is almost five years old and now is deciding to start up again. He has tried it 3 times over the past two weeks.

The first time it caught me completely by surprise and I didn't even have time to react. I called him quickly from the porch and he ignored me and continued to sniff the neighbor's grass. I knew chasing him would cause him to run so I grabbed a hot dog out of the fridge and before I was halfway out the door I called his name and he was happy to come running back. I gave him to whole hot dog, though I seriously contemplated flogging him to death with it!

The second time was later that same day and he didn't even make it to the door because I was still on edge from the first attempt.

The third time was two or three days ago. Now, I don't generally use corrections at all with Frodo. He's quite a soft dog and corrections would get us nowhere. Well, the other day when I was heading out the door to work with phone and lunch in my hands, he decided to try this newfound trick again. I was quick enough to pin him against the doorframe with my leg and bellow a furious "NO!" at him. He flew backwards and hasn't tried door darting since. I'm hoping that sudden correction scared him out of trying again. I really do, because right outside of my front door is a road that can be quite busy and people drive fast, so it's as much a matter of safety as it is a bad habit.

There's now a rule that he must sit and wait for me to walk through the door, in or out, before he is allowed to go through. I know this is general manners in most houses, but he's not had an issue like this in YEARS, so I've never had a problem with him going before me when he's attached to his leash.

In other news, we are now moving on to a new set of tricks for Week Three of the Positive Clicks 2010 blog.

This week the tricks are:

1. Spin (either a left or right full circle)2. Catch (a toy/treat in air)3. Place (dog circles around to get into heel position on left side)4. Kisses (on lips/face... or lips/face of another person)

1. I am luring spin because although I think it would be a good way to work on shaping, there is enough tricks this week that I need to move at a decent pace and Frodo and I aren't the best pair at shaping. I would also like to teach him both a left and a right circle.

2. He can already catch, so I don't have to do anything for that except tape it.

3. This I would like to spend the most time on and shape the behavior. I want to use the method that I have seen many videos on recently, where the dog puts it's paws on some type of circular container placed at the front position, and is shaped to pivot to a heel position. We shall see how this progresses.

4. Frodo doesn't do this on his own, but I bet with the help of some peanut butter we can get this one down quickly!

I would really really like to, for the first week, get all the tricks taped and up on the blog. I still need to backtrack and do some work for weeks 1 and 2, both teaching and taping. It is stressing me out that I am not caught up. This is just like college!

Frodology101

About

A training blog about the trials (not the fun kind!) and tribulations of trying to get my 4 year old insecure, reactive, ill-mannered, thick-skulled Pembroke Welsh Corgi, Frodo, ready to move from rural Pennsylvania to the city of Minneapolis in the span of a summer. Grab a seat and sharpen a pencil, class is in session!